There are plenty of good reasons to visit Las Vegas that have nothing to do with gambling. But I can’t seem to think of any at the moment. This brings us to one of the basic tenets of human nature: Gambling is fun.

Sure, it’s more fun when you win. But as long as you can manage your wallet (and your expectations), you can accept losing as the price of the fun. This is especially true if you’re a sports fan, because Las Vegas is the only place in America where you can gamble legally in a sports book. Which brings us to another basic tenet of human nature: Watching a sporting event is more fun if you have a little action on it.

This is true for every game in every sport, but it is especially true during the NCAA Tournament. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, two of the city’s three busiest weekends in the last two years came during the NCAA Tournament. Hotel occupancy rates are routinely north of 95 percent during those times. Heading...